Corpus Draconis
by serialzero
Summary: Inuyasha and his allies encounter a strange half-dragon during their pursuit of the jewel shards. Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA. The original character Aziru, however, is the copyrighted property of A. Hooker and D. Speleos.
1. Enter Aziru: The Half Dragon

CORPUS DRACONIS

An Inuyasha fanfic by SerialZero

Episode One: Enter Aziru; the Half Dragon

oooooooooo

Inuyasha stood at the edge of an outcrop, his gaze lingering on a distant flock of birds rising from the vast forest in the valley below him. So far it had been a quiet morning, but his usual sense of unease kept him from enjoying it.

He waited a few more moments, then turned and headed back towards the camp where his friends lie sleeping. By the time he arrived, Kagome had just awoken, stretching her arms out wide and yawning.

"So you're finally up, huh?" he said with a smirk.

Kagome blinked a couple of times, focusing on his voice. She noticed he was smiling, and allowed herself a brief second to admire his face. He could be so handsome when he was actually being nice.

"Yeah," she chirped, "Guess I must have overslept. Fighting demons all night can be real tiring."

Inuyasha's face sank.

"Well you'd better get used to it." he spat. "We've got a lot more demons to battle before this is all over."

"I see." Kagome turned away and started rifling through her backpack for a hairbrush, doing her best to look bored. When Inuyasha put on his sour act, it was best to ignore him.

"When we defeat Naraku and I use the power of the Sacred Jewel to become a full-fledged demon, then you can finally relax because from then on, nobody's gonna be messin' with us."

A smug grin cracked across his face.

"Uh-huh." she mumbled.

By now their voices had reached Miroku and Sango, who slowly began to stir.

Inuyasha snorted. "About time. Maybe now that everyone's waking up we can get going sometime this century." He walked over to Shippo, who was curled up next to Kilala, snoring softly. Putting his mouth right next to the little fox demon's ear, he shouted as loud as he could.

"HEY SHIPPO! YOU DONE WASTIN' TIME OR WHAT?!"

Shippo awoke with a scream, causing Kirara to suddenly spring up and transform into her greater cat form with a ferocious snarl.

"Inuyasha," groaned Miroku, rubbing his eyelids, "Could you possibly find a more graceful manner in awakening us?"

Kagome's eyes took on a look of concern.

"Yeah, Inuyasha." she said, "What's with you today? Why the rush to get moving?"

He folded his arms, looking indignant.

"Oh nothing. Just thought you guys might want to know that the air reeks of demon blood."

"Demon blood?" Sango sat up, "Why would that interest you? Do you smell human blood as well?"

"No, but where there's demons there's bound to be jewel fragments."

Miroku rose to his feet.

"Can you tell where the scent is coming from, Inuyasha?"

"Somewhere down in that valley over there." He motioned his head towards the direction he had come from, "I smelled smoke from some cooking fires too, so there's probably a village hiding around someplace."

"A village?" Kagome looked puzzled, "With the scent of so much blood, could the villagers be demon slayers like Sango?"

"Possibly." Miroku shifted his weight to lean on his staff, "Since the Jewel of the Four Souls shattered, demon populations have become much more dangerous and as a result this village may have had to start training slayers out of necessity in order to protect themselves."

Both Sango and Kagome fell silent. Painful mistakes from their past came flooding into their minds at the mention of the exterminators and the sacred jewel. The two women exchanged a sympathetic glance.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Inuyasha growled, "Let's go hunt some jewel shards."

Shippo collapsed onto his back, clutching his stomach.

"Can we at least get some breakfast first?" he whined.

oooooooooo

By early afternoon they were already well on their way through the valley with Inuyasha leading them. He would occasionally stop to smell the air, his ears wagging impatiently in an attempt to pick up some sort of clue. They were deep into the forest when they finally spotted what they assumed to be a villager, hauling a small bundle of firewood over his back.

"Hey! Old man!" Inuyasha brayed, "We got a couple of questions for ya!"

The man turned towards them, and upon seeing Inuyasha he let out a startled gasp.

"The demons have come for the village now!" he exclaimed, spilling the firewood all over the ground.

"We're not after your stupid village ya old codger." he sneered, rolling his eyes. "We just wanna know where all the demons are coming from around here."

Kagome stepped forward.

"So your people aren't the ones slaying the demons?" she asked.

The man seemed to relax a bit after Kagome spoke. Bending down carefully and keeping his eyes on Inuyasha, he began retrieving his haul.

"Well no," he stuttered, "but there have been an awful lot of demons invading and destroying certain sections of the forest lately. We're not exactly sure why, but luckily they do not seem to be interested in our village."

"Destroying the forest?" said Sango, "But why would so many demons go to the trouble of attacking an area where there are no people?"

"I don't know." Inuyasha looked confused. It wasn't like him to be getting so worked up over something like this. His ears were twitching in frustration. "There's definitely something weird going on here and I intend to find out what."

Miroku looked around at the surrounding greenery, then addressed the villager.

"Old man, can you tell us anything about this forest?"

"I have a name, you know." he responded stiffly, apparently regaining his composure, "It's Hitotsumo."

"My apologies, Hitotsumo. Please continue." Miroku said, giving a curt bow.

"Thank you." he sniffed, slinging the cloth of firewood back over his shoulder. "However, I'm afraid that the only information I can give you is that these woods were once said to be the home of a great dragon."

"A dragon?" Kagome tilted her head to the side.

"Yes." Hitotsumo nodded, "It's only a legend though, so I don't know what that could possibly have to do with what's going on. Anyway, I must go now, so I bid you good day."

With that, he turned and headed back off into the forest.

Inuyasha snorted.

"Some help he was. Let's get out of here. We're not gonna find anything by wanderin' around and wastin' time with stupid old men."

Kagome froze suddenly, her eyes glazing over.

"What is it, Kagome?" Sango put her hand on her shoulder, "Do you sense a jewel fragment?"

"Yes, I think so." she replied, "but it's very faint. It's coming from that direction." She pointed off to the side of the clearing and into a patch of forest roughly east of the route they saw Hitotsumo take.

"That's what I wanted to hear." Inuyasha drew his Tetsusaiga and slung it over his shoulder with a brazen smile. "Let's go."

oooooooooo

They had traveled nearly a half an hour deeper into the forest when Inuyasha's patience ran out. When they reached a small clearing he stopped, stabbing his sword into the ground with a loud grunt.

"Are you sure there's a jewel shard around here, Kagome?"

"Yes, I'm sure! In fact, we should be right on top of it, but I don't see any demons." She peered around the area, her brow furrowed in dismay. Inuyasha's nay-saying was beginning to annoy her. He thrust the Tetsusaiga back into its sheath when Sango noticed something.

"Look at that!" she gasped, pointing just ahead of them.

At the edge of the clearing loomed an enormous tree, its branches spreading out high above the canopy of the other trees. Upon further examination they could see that the roots extended far beyond their normal reach and actually resurfaced to form a ragged circle around the entire area.

Kagome paused, then squinted her eyes at the tree's massive trunk.

"The jewel shard!" she exclaimed, "It's inside the tree!"

Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"Take cover!" he screamed, tackling Kagome just as something large came slamming into the clearing with remarkable force.

"Aaauuugh! What's that?!" Shippo dove behind Miroku, trembling with fear.

When the dust cleared they could make out the body of a sizeable bear demon lying face down in the dirt. It didn't appear to be moving.

"A demon!" Sango was shocked. "But from these wounds it looks like it's dead."

"Who could have killed it?" Kagome was puzzled.

"I did." came a female voice.

A lean figure flew into the clearing and came to a quick stop atop one of the branches of the monstrous tree. She appeared to be human, wearing a sleeveless interlaced vest and brown kimono trousers. Her hair was a striking shade of green, stopping just short of her shoulders. There was something strange about her though.

Inuyasha glared at her, his hand resting nervously atop the hilt of the Tetsusaiga.

"Look at that!" whispered Kagome, motioning towards the woman's head.

He brought his eyes up and could now see a small set of horns poking out from the top of her hair. They were animal-like, and curled slightly downwards.

"I am Aziru, daughter of the great dragon Tiamoru." she announced, "If you've come seeking the jewel then you're out of luck. I don't take kindly to intruders looking to kill my beloved trees."

"Hmmmph." Inuyasha chuckled, "You're right about the plants, but if you think I'm gonna let you keep my jewel shard you've got another thing comin'."

"If you wish a fight, then I can give it to you." Aziru spat, flexing her long fingers to reveal a wicked set of sharp claws.

"Bring it on."

"Inuyasha, wait!" Kagome ran up to him and put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down, "I don't think she's our enemy. It's obvious she's the one who's been preventing the demons from getting the jewel. I'm sure if we explained everything to her she could help us out."

"Smart girl." Aziru hopped down from her perch, "But I'm afraid the only way you're taking that shard is by destroying the tree it's embedded in first, and I simply cannot allow that."

"Tell me," Sango put her elbow up to lean on her boomerang, "How is it that the jewel became lodged inside it?"

The corner of Aziru's mouth twitched, as if she were suppressing a smile.

"When the Sacred Jewel of the Four Souls shattered, a piece of it landed inside the knothole of a dying tree. The shard was pure, and untouched by evil at that time."

She regarded Inuyasha coldly, then continued.

"The power of the jewel revitalized the whole area and the forest was reborn."

"Oh!" Kagome perked up. "That explains why the plant-life is so thick in this particular valley."

Miroku cleared his throat and, putting on his best "innocent boy" routine, stepped forth to address Aziru this time.

"So how is it that a lovely woman such as yourself came to be the guardian of this forest?"

Sango shot him a jealous glare, but Kagome was the only one who caught it. Miroku's habit of flirting with nearly every woman he ever met was the biggest contributing factor to neither he nor Sango being able to fully communicate as to how they felt about each other. Kagome sympathized, for she and Inuyasha shared a similar dilemma. She watched Sango avert her eyes and hang her head.

At Miroku's demeanor, Aziru seemed almost puzzled, as if this behavior were unfamiliar to her.

"My father Tiamoru," she began, "he was originally its protector. He fell in love with a human woman from the local village. She died giving birth to me and my father did as best he could to raise me here."

She frowned.

"The rest is not important, and I do not know you well enough to get into it." she huffed. "What is important now is that you do not violate the sanctity of this place. I'll have to ask you to move on and forget about the jewel."

Inuyasha's thumb flicked out and the Tetsusaiga left its casing.

"Not a chance." he snarled, brandishing his sword like a hungry bandit.

"Then I shall have to remove you by force!"

Arching her back, a pair of long leathery wings burst forth, accompanied by a coiling dragon tail tipped with deadly-looking barbs.

Inuyasha smirked.

"Suits me just fine!" he brayed.

Before the others could protest, Inuyasha sprang straight for Aziru, slashing downwards with furious force. The Tetsusaiga hit the ground with a loud crash, sending a great cloud of dirt into the air. A second later it dispersed, but to his surprise she was no longer in front of him.

"What the-?"

With impossible speed, Aziru was behind him. Her right leg flashed out, sending Inuyasha flying into the underbrush. A moment later she was airborne, diving down at him, claws fully extended. A terrible, manic look danced in her eyes as she emitted an ear-shattering roar. Inuyasha rolled onto his back and brought up the Tetsusaiga to shield himself. Her talons struck it with a loud clang, but she would not relent, and began striking at him repeatedly. To his frustration he could do nothing but lie there, fending off her attacks.

"Inuyasha, stop!" Kagome cried, "You don't have to fight her!"

"Try tellin' that to her!" he grunted, gritting his teeth at the power of Aziru's blows. When her claws struck next, he thrust his sword upwards, catching her hands so as to throw her arms up over her head, then gave her a rough kick in the stomach. As she was sent skidding backwards, Inuyasha took the opportunity to rise to his feet.

The next instant Kagome gasped, putting her hand up to her face. There was another jewel shard here, and it was coming at them fast!

"Everyone hit the deck!" she shouted, "There's a demon headed this way, and it has a shard of the Sacred Jewel!"

Inuyasha's lips split into a greedy smile.

"Perfect! Now I can collect two in one day!" he announced smugly.

"Dream on, Dog Boy!" Aziru spat, rising back up to her full height.

"Here it comes!" Miroku yelled.

The demon thundered into their midst. It was a gigantic warthog, with branching tusks and hideously oversized fists. It crunched to a halt, casting its terrible gaze over the lot of them. Shippo let out a subdued squeal and cowered at Kagome's feet.

A gluttonous grin slowly cracked across the demon's slavering jaws. Foul-smelling ichor was dribbling down from them in thick rivulets and hitting the ground with a hiss.

"How nice," it crooned, licking its chops, "I'll have dinner waiting for me once I finish stealing the jewel shard."

"Not on your life, pal!"

Inuyasha brought the Tetsusaiga up with both hands, and it flared up into its more powerful form. Why it had failed to do so when Aziru was attacking him he wasn't sure, but now he was determined to lay down some serious hurt and collect himself both jewel shards.

He vaulted upwards, letting out a shrill battle cry. His sword screamed down towards the demon's head, sending a whistle tearing through space. The demon thrust its arm up to block the oncoming weapon, and the Tetsusaiga rebounded off the thick skin with an awful clang. Inuyasha was sent flying back, but managed to somersault in mid-air and land neatly on his feet.

Wasting no time, the beast threw its other fist out, attempting to catch Inuyasha unprepared. There was another explosion of dirt, followed by a sickening crack.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried.

"Right here!" came his voice from overhead. He had leapt clear of the ordeal, and came to a graceful landing in front of her, his hair swaying gently in the breeze. Kagome afforded herself another lovestruck glance, then blinked and smiled.

"Clumsy lummox missed me by a mile." he chuckled.

"Then what was that loud noise when he struck at you?" asked Sango.

Aziru's eyes widened.

"No, please tell me it wasn't-"

Once again the cloud settled and the warthog demon regarded them all with a malicious sneer. It shifted its weight to start moving towards them again, then paused as a low groan suddenly echoed throughout the forest.

"Huh?" The beast hesitated, turning its head to look up.

Then, the entire top half of the great tree came thundering down on it.

Everyone dove for cover as demon blood was sent spraying out in all directions. When Kagome recovered she felt Inuyasha's warm breath on the back of her neck. He had grabbed onto her in order to protect her. She realized she was trembling.

"Are you hurt, Kagome?" he said quietly, "You're shaking."

"No, no." she stuttered. Far be it for her to admit that in the midst of all this danger the only thing she could think of at the moment was how his embrace sent her heart rocketing out of control.

When the others sat up, they could see that Aziru was already standing at the trunk of the fallen tree, staring blankly at a small twinkle of light.

Inuyasha wasted no time walking over to the head of the dead pig demon and thrust his claws into its forehead, tearing out a piece of the Sacred Jewel. He held it aloft proudly.

"Well, that was easy." he said. He then regarded Aziru with what almost looked like symphathy, but the expression quickly left him and he resumed his seemingly apathetic attitude.

"Hey!" he called out to her, "You gonna bring that other jewel shard along with you, or stay here alone feelin' sorry for yourself?"

For a moment she would not answer. Slowly, she bent down to pick up the fragment from inside the fractured trunk and tucked it into a small pocket on the front of her vest.

Miroku approached her solemnly.

"Aziru, we are truly sorry for what has befallen you." he said softly. "We did not mean for it to happen like this. We have all suffered great misfortune during our quest for the jewel shards, so please do not think us wicked or unkind."

"You're welcome to join us." piped in Kagome.

"It seems I have no choice." Aziru said flatly. She turned to look at Inuyasha. "But I'm holding onto this piece until I'm sure your intentions are honorable."

"Whatever," Inuyasha huffed, "as long as you hand it over in the end and manage to make yourself useful in the meantime I got no problem with that." With that, he turned around and walked straight out of the clearing.

Miroku and Sango followed, then Shippo and Kilala. Kagome waited another couple of seconds, watching Aziru. Her shoulders were shaking in an odd manner, as if she were fighting off an emotion unfamiliar to her.

"Inuyasha may seem like a big jerk on the outside," Kagome began, "But I believe in him to be able to do the right thing."

The two women locked eyes.

A wavering grin played across Aziru's face.

"So, you want to be my friend?" she asked uncertainly.

"Of course!" Kagome chirped, "The more, the merrier! Gotta watch out for Miroku though, he's a bit of a lecher."

"Then tell me, Kagome, was it?"

"The one and only!"

"What is this thing I'm doing with my mouth?" She pointed at her twitching lips to emphasize.

This surprised Kagome. "Haven't you ever smiled before?"

"Well, no."

"Hmmm. Guess we'll have to change that. I'll warn you though, you'll probably have to put up with a lot of crying and yelling too."

Quietly, Aziru said, "I'm used to all that."

Kagome scratched her head, laughing nervously.

"Well then, let's go."

Kagome bounded off cheerily to join the rest of the group. Aziru smiled again, and followed her into the forest.


	2. Aziru's Struggle and Sesshoumaru's Hesit...

CORPUS DRACONIS

An Inuyasha fanfic by SerialZero

Episode Two: Aziru's struggle and Sesshoumaru's hesitation

oooooooooo

Aziru's eyes flicked open at the first break of sunlight over the horizon. She was lying some ten yards from her new companions, all of whom she could see still slept soundly. Even the brazen Inuyasha had not yet risen, and sat motionless at the foot of a tree with his sword propped up underneath his arms.

Such a peculiar arrangement they had! Aziru stared intently at each of their faces, trying to understand what brought them all together.

Inuyasha; the loud braggart with a supposed heart of gold. Like her, he was half human. This piqued her curiosity, for she wondered if he had anything to teach her of the struggles of being a half-breed. He wasn't much for showing his human side, which led her to believe that perhaps it wasn't as difficult as she was making it out to be.

Then there was Kagome. Such a sweet, kind and caring spirit! Aziru had learned that she was from the future, which was difficult for her to understand at first. Living alone in the forest for so long, everything she was experiencing now was a bit much to handle sometimes. That was one of the reasons she had chosen to sleep at a distance her first few nights out, because she was adjusting to a strange new world. Father had taught her many things, but nothing quite like this.

Miroku was strange indeed. His speaking tone seemed to be different somehow when he was addressing the females he came across. What's more, this manner of talk seemed to upset Sango for some reason. Aziru resolved herself to discover the secrets behind this sort of interaction. The same thing seemed to transpire between Inuyasha and Kagome as well.

Kirara and Shippo were simply delightful. Among all the members of the team, they were the ones she felt most comfortable with. Aziru sat up, smiling. They were curled up next to each other as usual.

Inuyasha's ears twitched at the sound of her movement, and soon he too was awake. She let the grin fade from her face, lest he should see her enjoying herself.

"Good to see somebody else is interested in keeping an early watch for a change." he said quietly.

Aziru nodded. She could hear his voice plainly from where she was sitting. Being a half-breed definitely had its advantages. After a brief stretch of the arms, she rose to her feet.

To her surprise, Inuyasha slowly drifted back off to sleep. Was he trusting her to watch out for everyone? Usually he was patrolling the area by now.

How utterly bizarre.

oooooooooo

Elsewhere, in an area of forest not too far from where Inuyasha and his friends camped, Sesshomaru trekked slowly onwards. Trailing behind were Rin and Jaken, who had their twin-headed mount in tow.

"Where are we going today, my lord?" Rin asked cheerily. She was bouncing along on an invisible tic-tac-toe board spilling out from her youthful imagination. Jaken was getting exhausted, so he stopped to answer her despite the fact that he loathed her very presence.

"Lord Sesshomaru is going to challenge his brother again today." he huffed breathlessly. "He must discover if Inuyasha has made any progress mastering the Tetsusaiga."

Rin stopped as well, resting her finger on her chin. "I get it!" she chirped. "If Inuyasha masters his sword, then he can get rid of that smelly old Naraku."

"Don't be stupid!" Jaken snapped, "Lord Sesshomaru wishes to destroy Inuyasha when he is himself, not when he loses the Tetsusaiga and starts masquerading as a true demon!"

"Rin." Sesshomaru had paused at the forest line ahead where the grass began thinning out into a vast plain.

"Yes, my lord?" she beamed.

"Keep an eye on Jaken. I must seek out Inuyasha."

"Yes, my lord!" She wheeled around and scrunched her eyes shut, leering at Jaken with her tongue stuck out.

"Keep an eye on ME? But, my lord-" Jaken raised a claw in protest, then realized Sesshomaru had already gone.

Rin giggled.

oooooooooo

By now everyone back at camp had risen. Miroku was off to the side, bending over to peer into a bush that lie at the base of a tree. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to his intense investigation, which puzzled Aziru. She strolled over to him to see what he could possibly be interested in. Sango watched the both of them for a moment, then rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"What is it, Miroku?" Aziru stood next to him, leaning forward to scan the inside of the bush.

That's when she felt his hand ease over to rest on the seat of her pants. She looked over at him. He continued to face forward nonchalantly, then proceeded to giver her backside a couple of gentle squeezes.

"What is it?" Aziru asked again, studying his hand carefully in an attempt to figure out what he was doing.

Suddenly, Miroku looked exceedingly embarrassed. He had expected a large welt by now from Aziru's fist.

"W-well, ummm-" he stuttered, retracting his hand, "It means I, uh, that is, well..."

"It means he's a dirty louse!" spat Sango, striking him sharply in the back of the head. A bulbous sphere of flesh sprang up instantly and Miroku clutched the area in pain.

"You know," he gritted, "I'm beginning to think you have a jealously issue or something, Sango."

"I don't understand." said Aziru.

Sango's hand went up to hit him again, but a growl from Inuyasha made her pause.

"Sesshomaru." he snarled, drawing his Tetsusaiga.

"He's here?!" exclaimed Shippo.

Inuyasha sniffed the air a few times, his hears wagging furiously. "He's around all right. I can smell his rotten stink from here."

"Sesshomaru?" Aziru tilted her head sideways with a questioning look.

"Inuyasha's elder brother." Kagome replied. "They've been at each other's throats for the longest time. Sesshomaru despises Inuyasha because he's half human, and has possession of the Tetsusaiga.

"He's just ticked 'cause I'm the better fighter." Inuyasha announced smugly.

"Does he have a crescent symbol on his forehead?" asked Aziru, bringing her hand up to shield her eyes from the sunlight.

Sango did a double-take. "You mean to say that you can actually see him?" She scanned the plains beyond the tree line on their side of the forest, but could not see anything.

"Father always did say I had his eyes." she said with a wan smile.

Inuyasha looked impressed. "Good job, Aziru." he said curtly. "You're actually starting to pull your weight around here."

A feeling of elation washed over her. Inuyasha had just complimented her, hadn't he? Only her father, the great Tiamoru had ever done that before.

"Are you going to confront him, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.

"Of course!" he replied. "If he's come here lookin' to get his butt kicked again, then I'm more than happy to help him out." He turned to enter the plains with the Tetsusaiga slung over his shoulder.

"Be careful, Inuyasha." Kagome said. "We'll be right behind you if you need us."

"Yeah, yeah." came his voice from a few yards away. "I'll be fine."

"Hmmm..." Aziru was peering off into the distance again, looking thoughtful.

"What is it?" asked Shippo. "Did you spot something else?"

"Does Sesshomaru have any allies?" Her eyes were pinched almost closed now.

"Well, there's Jaken." Miroku replied.

"Short, green, ugly guy?"

"That would be him." Kagome said flatly.

"What about a little girl?"

Everyone in the group looked stunned.

"A young girl?" gasped Sango. "What would Sesshomaru be doing with a human?"

"I don't like this." said Miroku. "He may be using that child as an advantage over Inuyasha."

"I'll go check it out!" Aziru volunteered. Before the others could react, she had already unfurled her great dragon wings and taken to the sky. Kagome watched the treetop leaves flutter down from her wake.

"We'd better get going." Miroku gathered up his staff. "We need to warn Inuyasha."

Sango and Kagome nodded, then proceeded to gather up their own possessions as well.

oooooooooo

Sesshomaru strode across the wide, grassy expanse and soon spotted his younger brother approaching him from the opposite side. He was mildly pleased to see that Inuyasha was starting to take their encounters more seriously by meeting him head-on.

He paused, looking off into the sky at what appeared to be a bird streaking across the horizon, then dismissed it and turned back to watch his brother again.

"So, you come for another rematch?" Inuyasha snarled as he entered vocal range.

Sesshomaru waited a moment before replying.

"Inuyasha," he began, "I am here to determine whether or not you have learned anything from our last duel."

Inuyasha's face dropped. He didn't remember much from it. His demon blood had caused him to transform during that battle, so he had effectively blanked out and had no memory of the details afterwards. Kagome had been so frightened.

"Have you learned how to properly master the Tetsusaiga?" Sesshomaru continued, "I still have my doubts that you are worthy to possess it."

Inuyasha's other hand went to the hilt.

"Still after my sword, eh?" he drew it out to its full length and pointed it at his brother, but to his dismay it would not transform right away. He would have to wait until he made a move.

Sesshomaru studied him with what almost looked like disappointment. He waited another moment before speaking again.

"What if I were to tell you that I intend to kill Kagome when we are through?" he said coldly, watching for Inuyasha's reaction.

The Tetsusaiga flared up into its greater form in a heartbeat. Something seized inside of the young half-demon, and he grew insanely angry. How dare he threaten her like that!

"You bastard." he snarled viciously, bringing his sword around to the side. "You're gonna be sorry you ever said that."

Sesshomaru smiled inwardly. The stubborn fool had still not yet realized that the Tetsusaiga only reached full power when he was protecting those he cared for. Such a child he was.

Inuyasha lunged forward, swinging his sword in a wide arc towards his brother's midsection with a ferocious battle cry. A wave of light tore through the air, and Sesshomaru slid deftly out of its wake.

That's when he heard Rin scream in the distance.

He found himself, to his own disgust, reacting strangely to it. He nearly let the distraction give Inuyasha an advantage. His halfling brother had already swung his sword again and he barely had enough time to dodge.

"Enough!" he snapped, "We shall resolve this at another time." He turned and hurriedly made his way back towards his side of the forest, leaving Inuyasha intensely bewildered.

"Hey! Whaddya runnin' away for already?!" He had never seen Sesshomaru retreat so quickly. What was going on?

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried breathlessly. The rest of the group had finally caught up. "Sesshomaru has a little girl with him!"

"What?!" His face exploded with confusion. "A human?!"

oooooooooo

"Put me down! Help, help, help!"

Rin was being held aloft at the collar by Aziru, her limbs flailing wildly in all direction. Jaken struggled as well from underneath her foot, cursing and reaching for his staff.

"I'm here to rescue you." she told the young girl with uncertainty in her tone. "You have no reason to fear me."

"Let me goooooo!" Rin continued lodging her physical protest.

"You would do well to leave her be." came Sesshomaru's voice at the edge of the clearing.

Aziru found herself suddenly rooted to the spot. She had locked eyes with him, and it sent a strange chill coursing throughout her entire body. She wondered what it was about him that was causing such an odd reaction. Certainly she was not afraid of him, for she had taken on many demons before, so what could it be?

Rin began to kick again, and she remembered why she had come. Focusing all her concentration, she addressed the impressive demon standing before her.

"Do you intend to devour this child?"

"No way!" Rin blurted. "Lord Sesshomaru would never do anything like that!"

Aziru was now at a complete and total loss. A true demon who cared for a human girl? It was a fantastic notion, one she never thought she'd see brought to life.

"You're sure about that?" she continued hesitantly, throwing a sideways glance at Sesshomaru to see if his expression would reveal anything. His piercing gaze remained unflinching, and Aziru had to force herself to tear her eyes away, else she remain transfixed.

"Mmm-hmm!" came Rin's simple reply.

Then, ever so gingerly, Aziru deposited Rin back onto the ground. She cleared her throat and gave an apologetic bow.

"Forgive me. I should not have interfered in the affairs of you and your brother." She slid casually off to her right to release Jaken from underfoot. "I still have much to learn of social graces and truth be told, I know not much more of Inuyasha than I know of yourself." Her voice was cracking by the end of her speech.

Sesshomaru hesitated, then allowed himself to smile outwardly. What an amusing character this half-breed dragon was. She seemed much wiser than Inuyasha, though a bit naive.

"Come, Rin. It is time to go."

The sprightly little girl humbly obeyed and skipped off to follow him as he headed out into the denser part of the woods. Jaken muttered something under his breath, gathered up his staff and went out after them with their astral mount in tow.

A minute later Inuyasha exploded onto the scene, sniffing the air furiously.

"He was just here, wasn't he? Where did he go?!" he asked Aziru.

"Oh. He left." was her only reply.

"You mean you saw him and you let him go? Where's the girl?!"

"She went with him."

Inuyasha found himself so choked with disbelief that he couldn't speak. He stared slack-jawed at Aziru, who seemed to be in a daze. What the hell was wrong with her?

Kagome and the others caught up, panting for breath. Miroku scanned the area.

"Where is Sesshomaru?" he asked.

Inuyasha found his voice again. "This half-wit let him escape with the girl!" he shrieked.

Aziru shrugged halfheartedly. "Rin said Sesshomaru wouldn't hurt her, so I had no reason to interfere, really."

"Rin? You on a first name basis with this kid already? Don't tell me you actually believed any of that crap!" Inuyasha's fists tightened. "He obviously had her under some sort of mind control spell!"

"Can Sesshomaru use that kind of magic?" Kagome wondered out loud. "Can Jaken?"

"Neither of them are mnemonic in nature, nor are they charm demons." noted Miroku. "So it's quite possible that this girl truly believes she is not in any danger accompanying him.

To Inuyasha's surprise, Aziru spoke before he could lodge a verbal protest.

"Are you certain this Sesshomaru cannot use such magic?" she asked. "I felt a strange, paralyzing sensation in my chest when I was speaking to him."

"SEE?!" was all Inuyasha could manage in his state of pure exasperation, gesturing sloppily in Aziru's general direction.

Kagome paused, narrowing her eyes in thought. Then she arched one eyebrow, exploring an idea in her head.

"Ohhhhhh." she drew out in one long breath. The next moment she was whispering into Sango's ear. The young exterminator duplicated Kagome's exact sequence of thought and response before they both nodded at each other in agreement.

"What? What is it?" Shippo was bouncing up and down at their feet, waving his hands wildly. "I wanna hear!"

Kagome and Sango strolled casually over to Aziru with impish grins on their faces.

"Oh well! Crisis averted!" Sango beamed.

"I think we should go take a walk!" Kagome supplied cheerily.

"What do you say, Aziru?"

"How about it?"

Before the halfling dragon could respond, the girls had hooked their arms underneath hers and started dragging her off.

"HEY!" Inuyasha's frustration had reached its absolute limit. "Where do you think you're going?! We still have to-"

"SIT, BOY!" came Kagome's voice.

A pulse of light emitted from the beads around his neck and he was thrown violently into the dirt, creating a sizeable imprint.

"What was that all about?" Shippo was scratching his head, watching the girls recede into the distance, chatting excitedly.

"Girl talk, I suppose." replied Miroku.

Inuyasha groaned.


	3. Unbelievable Courage! Triumph Over Fear

CORPUS DRACONIS

An Inuyasha fanfic by SerialZero

Episode Three: Unbelievable courage! Triumph over fear

oooooooooo

"Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!"

Inuyasha streaked through a thick cloud of demons, reducing them to chunks of torn flesh.

"Furious Dragon Claw!"

Aziru tore through another heavy mass, her lengthy tail undulating behind her. Blood was raining down from the sky in a torrent. Miroku and Sango were dashing through the area, finishing off the injured demons that hit the ground.

They had all come here to defend a local village from a sudden, swarming onslaught of monsters. Why so many of them had decided to focus on this particular group of unassuming people they had no idea. Yet Inuyasha and his friends could not simply leave them all to fend for themselves, even if there were no jewel shards to be had, so they agreed to fight.

The trees at the edge of the village parted and another, larger demon broke into view. It was a hideous, globulous entity resembling some sort of quadrapedal squid. More trees were sent up into the air as its tentacles reached out into the open.

"Look out! Another demon!" Kagome cried, knocking her bow with an arrow. This battle was getting more and more intense.

The squid beast's speed was unnatural. Kagome's warning didn't come fast enough, for Inuyasha and Aziru were swept up into its grasp. Miroku and Sango barely had enough time to see what happened before they were drawn in as well. None of them could move with their arms pinned to their sides.

"Oh, no!" Kagome gasped.

"We're on it!" yelled Shippo, hopping onto Kirara's back. The sizeable feline took off into the air, flames licking around her ankles.

"I'll cover you!" Kagome called after them, pulling her bowstring taut. An arrow whistled through the air, catching ablaze with a strange rose-colored glow as it transformed into a sacred arrow. It severed multiple tentacle in its wake as they attempted to snatch at Kirara.

"Foxfire!" Shippo threw a modest ball of blue flame straight at the demon's face once they were within range, burning its eyes closed just long enough for Kirara to sink her fangs into its head. There was a sickening crunch, and everyone in its grasp was rapidly released.

Aziru remained airborne by flapping her wings as the others hit the ground. She was amazed by the strength and courage of her new friends. With some quick thinking, she used her height to her advantage and dove headfirst into the heart of the beast's flailing body. Like a plummeting meteor, she hammered down through and split it wide open. The resulting shockwave sent dust flying out in all directions. When it finally settled, a quiet slowly came over the village.

"Is everyone all right?" Miroku called. He then bent over to help Sango to her feet.

Inuyasha looked over to see how Kagome was doing. Realizing she was fine, he replied.

"Yeah!" he coughed. "That looks like the last of them."

Shippo hopped down from Kirara. "That was amazing, Aziru!" he exclaimed.

By now the villagers were moving hesitantly from their hiding spots. Murmurs of relief spread through their numbers.

"All in a day's work!" Kagome said cheerily, and a round of applause ensued.

oooooooooo

By mid-afternoon the villagers had prepared an impressive feast for Inuyasha and his allies. Kagome and Shippo ate greedily, leaving crumbs plastered all over their cheeks. Miroku and Sango were more reserved, eating slowly and deliberately. Even Kirara was presented with her own miniature spread, and nibbled away with the occasional purr of approval. The only people not eating were Inuyasha and Aziru.

Kagome addressed the both of them through a mouthful of food. "Wuff uh mattah?" she slurred, spraying out food particles.

"I'm not hungry." huffed Inuyasha, looking uneasy.

Aziru seemed embarrassed. She lowered her eyes and said, "I, uh, I feed off positive energy. You and Shippo are producing a lot of it at the moment."

Kagome swallowed. "Really?!" she said. "Is it because you're half dragon? Is that how they eat?"

"Mmm-hmmm." Aziru nodded.

Shippo laughed heartily. "So I guess if you were stuck with just Inuyasha as company, you'd starve, right?"

The half-demon's fist flew out, striking the little fox on the head. A large welt sprang up from the impact site.

"Owww!" Shippo collapsed onto his back, twitching in pain.

"Gyaaah!" Aziru fell backwards as well, her arms flailing wildly. "Get it away! Get it away!"

Kagome was puzzled. She then noticed a small hornet buzzing around the panicked half dragon.

Inuyasha's hands flashed out, crushing the tiny insect. He stared at Aziru with one eyebrow arched. "You can stand up to hordes of demons and one little bug scares the daylights outta ya?"

"I'm... afraid of bees, OK?" she admitted hesitantly.

"Inuyasha, don't be so mean." said Kagome. "Everyone's got something they're afraid of. It's like when that worm in the Herb Garden scared me when Jinenji didn't." She smiled at Aziru with understanding.

"Just as I am fearful that one day my wind tunnel will consume me." added Miroku, flexing his hand in thought.

"I'm afraid of my brother never being free of Naraku's enslavement." Sango said slowly, lowering her head. "That is why I must remember to have courage and fight for what I believe in."

Aziru looked at the young exterminator with sympathy. This Naraku had caused them all such grief. It made her heart sad.

"What about you, Inuyasha?" asked Shippo. "There's gotta be something you're scared of."

"I ain't afraid of anything." he sneered, arms folded tightly. A brief image of Kagome's slain body flitted through his head. He pushed the thought out and continued looking indignant.

An uncomfortable silence fell over them, and soon the meal was over.

Miroku rose to his feet. "It's getting late." he said. "We should bed down for the night, as the villagers have humbly extended us the offer."

"Only after you bribed them by saying there might be more demons coming!" snapped Inuyasha.

The monk grinned guiltily, and the rest of the group gathered up their belongings. Night fell quickly as they headed towards the guest inn.

Moonlight spilled through the windows as they slept. Inuyasha remained awake, his head lowered in concentration. Aziru was reclining against the door to their room, feigning sleep. She listened intently, picking up the slightest shifts in movement.

"Inu... yasha..." Kagome mumbled, turning over in her sleeping bag.

Aziru cracked an eye open, and saw the half-demon turn his eyes towards her. Ever so carefully, he reached over and ran his hand down her cheek to quiet her. Kagome's body relaxed, and before Inuyasha could retract his arm she latched onto it, tucking it underneath her face. He turned a striking shade of red and started tugging feebly in order to free himself.

Aziru grinned and shut her eyes again.

After a minute or two of trying, Inuyasha gave up. Since his arm was in too awkward a position to remain seated, he eased down to lie next to her. He stared at Kagome's placid face with a scowl.

"Inu... yasha..." she whispered again with a smile. Her other arm swung over to grab onto his side and to his dismay she pulled closer to bury her head in his shoulder.

Aziru took a second peek at them. She thought it strange that he would only show his affection for her when he thought nobody could see.

Inuyasha held his breath. Her scent was overwhelming his senses. What was he doing? He couldn't tell her how he felt about her, not when Kikyo's spirit still needed to be set free. How could he break another woman's heart? He feared greatly that he had done so already. What was he to do?

Kagome shifted again, pulling even closer. Inuyasha's breath was forced out, making her hair dance. He realized he had no recourse but to pretend he had fallen asleep, and slipped his free arm around her waist. A moment later her eyes flitted open. She froze when she saw his face a mere inch from hers. He seemed sound asleep, embracing her so closely it sent her heart pounding into her throat. Was he having a dream about Kikyo? That had to be it, else he would not be holding her like this.

Slowly, she drew away from him and sat up. Her shoulders were trembling.

"What is it, Kagome?" Aziru yawned, doing her best to act like she had just gotten up. Deception was getting easy to learn from her new friends.

"Oh, nothing." she lied.

Inuyasha rolled over onto his back and his eyes shot open. "What?" he groaned, continuing the string of falsehoods with yet another act of innocence. "Somebody say they hear something?"

"It's nothing." Kagome replied quietly, eyes downcast.

Miroku and the others began to stir at the sound of their voices. It was then a low hum rose up somewhere in the distance.

Inuyasha was quick to his feet. "We've got company." he snarled, drawing the Tetsusaiga. "Let's get moving."

oooooooooo

Soon they were all outside, weapons at the ready and scanning the area for the origin of the droning noise. A dark cloud fell over the village. From within its depths emerged the largest wasp demon they had ever seen, accompanied by a swarm of smaller demons.

"Naraku's poisonous insects!" Miroku exclaimed. He glanced over and saw Aziru's eyes wide with fear.

"No..." Sango too had taken on a frightened look. "Kohaku." she gasped.

Atop the giant wasp they could see her younger brother, eyes still glazed over under Naraku's control.

"Everyone keep it together!" shouted Inuyasha. "It's just another one of that stupid bastard's old tricks!"

Kohaku leapt from the insect demon's back and stood before them, staring blankly. Inuyasha wasted no time in rushing him.

"Take care of the swarm!" he said quickly, "I'll handle Kohaku!"

Sango drew her boomerang. "Please, remember not to kill him!" she shrieked, her voice trembling.

"Yeah, yeah! I got it!" he answered brashly. Tetsusaiga struck forth, attacking Kohaku's weapon. When the opportunity presented itself, Inuyasha used a free hand to strike at him with his fist.

Miroku began taking out patches of insects with his staff. He knew he could not use his wind tunnel now, else he would be poisoned.

The giant wasp moved to hover over their midst. Aziru found herself cowering, covering her head with her arms and shaking. Shippo attempted to coax her into standing, but the half-dragon would not move.

Suddenly, Kagome screamed. The wasp demon had her in its clutches and was heading out of the battlefield with her kicking and flailing.

Inuyasha faltered, a frightened look smeared on his face. He then forced his full weight into Kohaku to knock him over.

"Kagome!" he cried, running after her. A rattling sound filled the air and the chain to Kohaku's weapon was quick to entangle Inuyasha's feet. The half-demon's pursuit was halted abruptly and he fell flat onto the ground with a thud.

The cloud of insects thickened to focus their attacks on Sango and Miroku, rendering them helpless to assist in rescuing her.

"NOOO! KAGOME!" Inuyasha cried, reaching towards the wasp demon as it was receding into the distance.

Aziru uncovered her head and looked up. Her friends were in danger, but how could she fight such a fearsome beast? How could she-

"HEY!" Inuyasha was calling out to her with a panicked voice. He was stuck on his back, fending off Kohaku's unrelenting blows. "You have to help Kagome! You're a freakin' dragon for cryin' out loud! Go do some dragon stuff and save her, or so help me I'll kill you myself when this is over!!"

Aziru blinked once. He was right. That foul-mouthed braggart was right! She was the daughter of the great Tiamoru, she should fear nothing! An instant feeling of confidence washed over her.

Like a rocket she took to the sky, her heart beating fiercely. Within seconds she closed the gap between herself and the giant wasp, leaving a high pitched whistle trailing behind her. Just as she reached its hindquarters her body suddenly ballooned, transforming into a sizeable reptilian form. With a thunderous roar, her slender dragon jaws flashed out, sinking into the demon's back and breaking it instantly.

Kagome was released from the demon's grasp. Before she could fall very far, Aziru rotated her sinuous, serpentine body to catch her with her hind talons, then righted herself and turned to wing her way back towards the battlefield.

Kohaku spotted the dragon streaking back to join the fight with flames licking around the corners of her mouth. He abruptly halted his attacks, freed Inuyasha from the chain and fled towards the forest. The insect swarms dispersed just as quickly, leaving everyone bewildered.

The wind blustered around them fiercely as Aziru made a careful landing, releasing Kagome onto the ground. When she was clear, she reverted back to her halfling form, panting heavily. Miroku ran over to steady her as she wobbled uncertainly.

"Quite astounding." he remarked, "We had no idea you could do that."

"Well..." she huffed, "I guess it's surprising... what one can overcome... when you're got friends, right?" She shot Inuyasha an appreciative glance.

"Right!" answered Shippo cheerily. Sango nodded in agreement.

"HA! When will Naraku realize he can't scare us?" Inuyasha sneered, grabbing onto one of Kagome's hands. He was holding it tightly, making her blush. He released it quickly before the others could see him. "Great work, Aziru."

The half-dragon smiled. Something she felt she was getting awfully good at lately.


	4. Sesshoumaru Set Up By Naraku!

CORPUS DRACONIS

An Inuyasha fanfic by SerialZero

Episode Four: Sesshoumaru set up by Naraku!

oooooooooo

"Run for your lives!!"

Villagers were fleeing in every direction. A massive serpent demon had torn into their midst and was devouring people whole. From somewhere in its midsection a pale circle of light pulsated, unknown to the naked eye.

Suddenly, a thin string of green light flashed out, severing the demon's head from its body. Another rapid succession of sparks followed, reducing the serpent to numerous pieces of quivering flesh. To the bewilderment of the villagers, they saw that another demon was responsible for rescuing them from the terrible reptile. He was tall and lanky, with a long mane of white hair that flowed gently in the breeze.

A young girl detached herself from a group of trembling onlookers and approached the amber-eyed stranger cautiously.

"Thank you so much, kind sir." she said, her voice quavering slightly. "You've saved us from certain death."

The demon known as Sesshomaru regarded her for a brief second, then bent down carefully to pick up a small jewel from inside the serpent's belly. He held it aloft, studying it with mild curiosity.

"Do not delude yourself, girl." he answered at last. "I did not come here to help you."

The young woman's face sank as she watched him turn and walk away. Such a strange demon he was! If he had not come to assist them, then why did he destroy the snake demon?

"That shiny stone." she murmured. "Could that have been a piece of the Shikon jewel?"

oooooooooo

Meanwhile, further away, Inuyasha and his allies traveled onward. Most of them were quiet or sullen. The fight with Kohaku and the wasp swarm has them all worried as to what Naraku was planning next.

Shippo scowled from atop Kirara's back and folded his arms. "Come on guys, cheer up!" he whined. "We can get through this, right? We always do!"

Inuyasha stopped so abruptly that Kagome had to grab onto his shoulders for support. She let go quickly as he spun around to address the little fox demon.

"You don't get it, do you?!" he snapped. "Now that we've got Aziru with us, Naraku's gonna start messin' with her too! We should have just taken her jewel shard and left her in the woods so we wouldn't have to worry about her!"

Kagome was taken aback. What had gotten into him? She looked over at the half-dragon, who to her surprise was actually smiling at the outburst.

"That means he cares about me, right?" asked Aziru, a bit uncertain.

"Stupid!" Inuyasha spat. "You don't know anything! You're all STUPID!"

Before anyone could stop him, he took off like a shot, leaving a small cloud of dust in his wake.

"I'm confused." Aziru continued. "Is he all right?"

Miroku shook his head sadly. "Inuyasha is stubborn." he replied. "The more friends he makes, the more insecure he becomes. He is constantly worried that letting himself become too involved with us will lead to the same tragedy that befell him and Kikyo, though he might prefer to die before he would admit to actually caring about our well-being."

Aziru's shoulders sank. "I've got a lot to learn about human emotion, don't I?" she sighed.

"If you're hoping Inuyasha will be your teacher, then yes." supplied Sango dryly.

"Hey, Kagome! Where are you going?!" Shippo called out when he noticed she had started walking away from them.

"Let her go." said Miroku quietly. "No doubt she is going to check on Inuyasha." The young monk found himself suddenly thinking about what he had said regarding the half-demon's stubborn attitude, and stared at Sango for a brief moment. He then returned his gaze towards Kagome, who had all but disappeared into the distance.

oooooooooo

Rin and Jaken were waiting patiently by their twin-headed mount when Sesshomaru arrived back from the village.

"Did you find a jewel fragment, sire?" asked Jaken excitedly.

To illustrate his reply silently, Sesshomaru produced the shard from inside his shirt collar and held it up in front of his face, studying it once again with a thoughtful expression.

For once, Rin frowned. "Why do you now seek the jewel pieces, my lord?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern. "Won't that attract more demons to us?"

Sesshomaru stared at her a good minute before replying. "I do not intend to keep this for long." he said. "I must release it to where it will be less troublesome."

"To whom will you be giving it, sire?" asked Jaken. "Surely you cannot let Inuyasha have it, for he would only use it against you."

Rin's face suddenly lit up. "Oh, I know!" she chirped, clapping her hands together. "You're going to give it to-"

"Me, of course." came a sinister voice. Without warning, a dark figure wrapped in a baboon pelt had materialized in between the little girl and the saucer-eyed goblin demon. "How thoughtful of you to deliver it to me directly."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened, and his hair stood on end, bristling with fury. He had not expected Naraku to make a move so quickly. Before he could react, the vile villain had already lifted his arms high into the air and cast two dark spheres of energy around Rin and Jaken, imprisoning them.

"Your interference has ceased to be amusing." Sesshomaru growled, flexing his claws.

"I would not be so hasty in assuming our business together is concluded." Naraku replied snidely. "Your services can still prove useful to me, as you will soon see." He lowered his arms, grinning maliciously from underneath his ape mask.

"I'm afraid you must oblige me." he continued. "Lest your companions perish inside these energy spheres, where even your Tenseiga will be unable to save them by the time the messengers of the underworld come to claim their souls."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed.

"You will destroy that half-dragon Aziru and bring me her shard." Naraku ordered smugly. "Then you will hand over the one you have recently acquired." He paused dramatically, chuckling to himself.

"Well?" he said finally. "Are we in agreement?"

oooooooooo

"Hey, Aziru."

Back at the main hub, Miroku was addressing the half-dragon with a smile. "I was wondering if you'd tell me-"

"If she wants to bear your children, right?" Sango said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

The monk's face fell in mid-sentence. "No, actually." he replied indignantly. "I was going to ask her about her father Tiamoru."

"Well, there's a surprise." she added, folding her arms.

Miroku actually looked angry. "So, what?" he huffed. "You get upset when I ask every woman I meet to have my children, and when I don't ask you get belligerant. I can do nothing to please you, is that it?" He seemed hurt as he finished his speech, then turned and walked over to sit at the base of a nearby tree, shutting his eyes tight and sulking.

Sango was baffled. What had gotten into him? This was the first time he had snapped at her like that.

Aziru blinked a few times, looking back and forth at the two of them. It seemed to her that the more people got to like each other, the meaner they became towards one another. It was a confusing concept that she was having trouble wrapping her head around. It just didn't make sense!

"Great." Shippo sighed, muttering to himself. "Now they're going at it like Inuyasha and Kagome."

Aziru stared blankly for a moment, deep in thought. When her ears started wiggling she perked up, scanning the area around them. Had Inuyasha and Kagome returned? She looked off into the distance, shading her eyes from the sunlight with her hand.

"Why, it's that Sesshomaru fellow." she remarked, peering intently across the plain beyond the treeline.

Miroku and Sango snapped out of their respective funks and stood at the ready, weapons drawn.

"Sesshomaru?!" Shippo squealed. "W-what's he doing here?"

"If he's looking for another fight with Inuyasha, then he's out of luck at the moment." said Miroku.

They watched carefully as Sesshomaru drew within normal visual range.

"I hope he and Kagome get back soon." said Sango. "Or we may be in for some trouble."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Sesshomaru took to the air, claws fully extended. He was among them in an instant, his fist slamming into the ground so hard that it knocked them all off their feet.

Aziru coughed a few times, then lifted her head in time to see his hand snake out again. A sense of terror washed over her as she realized he was aiming in her direction. What had she done wrong? Had she not apologized for accosting Rin and Jaken?

"Look out!" cried Sango.

The half-dragon rolled deftly out of the way as Sesshomaru's fist whistled past. He continued his assault, forcing her into a succession of backflips and somersaults. When he concentrated his next effort into an overhand swing, she stood her ground and brought her forearms up to guard herself. Scales rippled across them as the demon's claws made contact with a loud clang.

"Wow! Dragon armor!" Shippo exclaimed.

Aziru was struggling against Sesshomaru's weight, teeth clenched. "Why do you attack me?" she gritted.

"Can you not see for yourself, GIRL?" he replied, casting his eyes off to the side briefly.

She turned her head slowly to look in the direction he had indicated and gasped.

"Rin..." she murmured.

oooooooooo

In another part of the forest, Kagome had finally caught up with Inuyasha, who sat motionless underneath a small tree, arms folded in concentration. She approached him silently, then eased down into a crouching position and sighed.

"I know you didn't mean what you said about Aziru." she stated calmly.

"Hmmmph!" he snorted. "You don't know anything."

Her eyebrows furrowed with anger. "I know enough to see that you're being a stubborn jackass!" she spat.

Inuyasha's eyes flew open in shock. He had never heard such an outburst from her before, and found he could not speak.

"You keep pretending you don't care about us when the truth is you're just scared!" she added, her voice shaking. She faltered for a moment, and the anger left her quickly as she started to cry.

"Kagome." he said quietly, leaning forward. He was uncertain as to whether or not he should try to comfort her.

"I hate seeing you like this." she continued through a stream of tears. "I just want you to be happy."

Inuyasha rose to his feet and strode purposefully towards her crumpled form. Grabbing her wrist a bit forcefully, he brought her up into a standing position and pulled her into his embrace.

Kagome sobbed heavily into his shoulder. "Please don't cry." he whispered softly. "I didn't mean to make you upset. It's just that I don't know what to do sometimes. I'm afraid that-" His arms tightened around her midsection. "I'm so afraid I might lose you some day." he choked.

"It's OK." she replied, wiping the tears from her face and pulling away from him slowly. "I shouldn't have gotten so mad, or called you names. I'm sorry, I don't know what got into me."

Inuyasha found himself a bit reluctant to release her, but grudgingly allowed her to let go anyway.

"We'd better go and check on the others." she snuffled, clearing the last bit of moisture from her eyes and managing a wan smile.

Inuyasha's ears twitched a few times. "I think we'd better." he said, his tone suddenly becoming serious. "Something's not right. Let's go."

oooooooooo

By the time they arrived on the opposite side of the plain, Sesshomaru and Aziru were already well into a heated battle. Kagome couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"We've got to help her!" she cried.

"Wait!" Inuyasha put his hand on her shoulder to stop her from moving forward, which surprised her. Usually his first impulse was to attack Sesshomaru head-on. Instead, he was sniffing the air feverishly. "This reeks of Naraku." he growled. "There has to be something else going on here." After wagging his ears a few more times, he knelt down in front of her.

"Get on." he ordered. "We're going for a ride!"

"What about Aziru?" asked Kagome, a bit on the frantic side.

"She can take care of herself for now, let's get going!"

Kagome hesitated for a moment, then slung her arms over his shoulders and held on tight. He supported her lower half by snaking his arms up underneath her knees, then took off at high-speed back into the forest. Soon they broke into a small clearing where they spotted Rin and Jaken hovering inside two globes of dark, swirling energy.

"I knew it!" Inuyasha sneered.

Kagome hopped down from his back, then gasped when she saw the baboon-headed figure at the edge of the treeline.

"Naraku." the half-demon growled. In a flash, Tetsusaiga left its sheath and was thrust forward, severing the ape mask clean from its shoulders. A small, wooden doll clattered to the ground from inside the now-empty pelt in two separate pieces.

"Another demon-puppet!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Figures." Inuyasha huffed. "Now all we gotta worry about is how to get them outta those spheres."

Kagome drew an arrow from her quiver. "If it worked for Koga, it can work for them!" she said with confidence. Taking a deep breath, she struck at Rin and Jaken's dark prisons with the tip of her arrow. A blinding array of rose-colored light shot out from the impact site on both spheres, and when it finally faded, Sesshomaru's pint-sized allies were plonked rather unceremoniously back onto the ground.

Wasting no time, Inuyasha helped Kagome up onto his shoulders again, grabbed Rin and Jaken by the back of their shirt collars and sped off.

oooooooooo

Back at the battlefield, Aziru was beginning to tire. She hesitated at the wrong moment and found Sesshomaru's hand clenched around her throat. There came a hissing sound, and her skin started to blister. She looked down at his face and saw his lips move. Had he just whispered that he was sorry, or was the poison getting to her head?

"No! Aziru!" Miroku cried.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" came a small voice.

Inuyasha's elder brother actually gasped, and turned to see Rin swinging by her collar, waving to him cheerfully. Aziru fell to her knees when he released his grasp, coughing heavily.

"You owe us big time!" Inuyasha spat. "I don't wanna see your ugly face around me or my friends for awhile, ya hear?!"

Sesshomaru said nothing. He turned his gaze back towards the half-dragon, who was patting her vest up and down in a panic.

"My... my jewel shard." she sputtered. To her horror, one of Naraku's insects had already snuck in and claimed it from where it had dropped out of her pocket during the fight and was now winging its way far into the distance.

Sesshomaru bent down slowly and grabbed her by the wrist, then eased her up onto her feet. She felt his hand slide down over her waist before he let go.

Inuyasha set Rin and Jaken down, and they ran hurriedly over to Sesshomaru's side. The amber-eyed demon stared at his half-brother in silence before turning to walk back towards the woods.

"Are you all right, Aziru?!" Shippo cried, wrapping himself around her kneecap.

"I think so." she replied. "I...what's this?" She slipped a finger into her pocket with a puzzled look.

"What is it?" asked Sango.

Aziru brought the object out and held it aloft. "Why, it's a jewel shard!" she exclaimed, turning her head to watch Sesshomaru as he faded into the distance. Just as he reached the edge of the forest, she saw him look back at her with what appeared to be relief.

"Unbelievable." she whispered breathlessly.


	5. Bokunaka: Demon Of Desire

CORPUS DRACONIS

An Inuyasha fanfic by SerialZero

Episode Five: Bokunaka; demon of desire

oooooooooo

"You expect me to believe that he gave it to her out of the kindness of his own heart?! Don't make me laugh!"

"Well, maybe he did! He could have finally decided to grow up, unlike certain people I know!"

"Why are you taking his side anyway?! He tried to kill her for crying out loud!"

"It wasn't his fault! Naraku blackmailed him into it!"

"This is just stupid! I don't know why I'm even talking to you about this!"

"Are you calling me stupid?! You're such a jerk!"

Miroku sighed heavily. He had grown quite weary of Inuyasha and Kagome's constant bickering and it was beginning to show. Across from where he sat, Sango and Shippo had engaged themselves in a game of pick-up-sticks to weather through the verbal sandstorm.

Aziru however, listened intently, a thoughtful frown playing across her face as she knelt down to scratch Kirara between the ears.

"Why do they yell at each other if they like one another?" she asked bluntly.

Miroku chuckled. "We've been asking ourselves that very same question for a long time."

"Tell me about it." Sango supplied dryly, trying her best to ignore Inuyasha and Kagome's voices as they continued to bellow in the background.

The young monk lowered his head for a moment in concentration, then turned his head to address the half-dragon. "Aziru, how is your wound healing?"

Her hand went up to her neck, where the scars from Sesshomaru's poison still remained visible. "It's OK." she replied. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Miroku smiled wanly, then turned to look at Sango. Inuyasha and Kagome were still screaming at each other and it was driving him insane. He paused for a moment to reflect.

"No, it's not that." he murmured aloud to himself.

"Huh? What did you say?" asked Sango.

"He said 'No, it's not that'." Aziru added helpfully.

"What's not what?" Shippo was scratching his head in confusion.

Without a word, Miroku stood up and walked straight out into the woods.

"Wait, where are you going?" Sango called out. Was something wrong with him? Perhaps he was sick and needed some help? She rose to her feet and left to follow him, she had to find out what was going on.

Inuyasha and Kagome finally finished their tirade, and were puzzled to see that only Shippo and Kirara remained.

oooooooooo

Not far from them in another part of the forest, Sesshomaru still lingered with his companions in tow.

"Why do we not leave this area, sire?" asked Jaken. "Surely Inuyasha will want to start trouble if he picks up on us again?"

A small stone flew out, striking the little green demon in the face and knocking him over. There was a brief pause.

"Excellent shot, Rin." Sesshomaru said with a slight smirk.

"Thanks, M'lord!" she beamed, balancing herself on one foot and tossing her arms playfully into the air.

Sesshomaru waited another moment before replying to Jaken's query. "Naraku has something else in mind for today." he said, narrowing his eyes. "I must discover what his intentions are and put an end to his meddling once and for all. I will be the one to destroy Inuyasha. Neither he nor the priestess Kikyo have the right to interfere."

Rin simply rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out to show her opinion of his statement. Jaken groaned from somewhere on the opposite side of their demon-horse.

Sesshomaru turned to scan the horizon. Somewhere out there, Naraku was still scheming, and daylight was fading fast.

oooooooooo

Miroku stood watching the sunset with troubled eyes. Something didn't feel right, he needed to act fast before-

"Are you here?" came Sango's voice as she entered the clearing.

"Yeah." he replied.

She walked over to stand at his side. "Are you feeling all right?" she asked with concern. "You've been awfully quiet lately."

For a few moments, Miroku could not speak. His hand tightened around his staff. "I'm not sure how much longer I can do this." he said.

"What?!" Sango gasped. "Don't tell me you're thinking of leaving us?"

Before she could react further, the monk took her by the waist and pulled her into a sound kiss. Her eyes flew open in shock, and her first instinct was to slap him in the face, but instead she relaxed and allowed herself to ease into his embrace.

Miroku moved his hand up to the side of her cheek and up over her ear, pushing some of her hair back. Sango felt chills run throughout her entire body.

"I've grown tired of not being able to tell you how I feel." he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. "Even if you do not return the sentiment, you have to know that I've been in love with you for quite some time now."

When he released her from his grasp, she took a step back and chuckled nervously. "I bet you say that to every woman you meet." she said with eyes downcast.

"Only one." he replied, and moved forward to kiss her again.

"What are you guys doing?" came a familiar voice from the treetops.

"Aziru!" Sango exclaimed when she saw the half-dragon swinging upside down from a nearby branch. "How long have you been there watching us?!"

"Did I do wrong?" she asked, putting her finger up to her cheek in puzzlement. "Is this another one of those private things you told me about? I was just going to see if Miroku was all right, I hope I didn't upset either of you."

"Of course not." said Miroku. "It's just that, well..."

"This will have to be our little secret for now, OK?" Sango added.

"You guys are so weird." Aziru said bluntly, dropping down to the ground and heading back towards camp. The monk and the exterminator watched her fade into the distance, hands held together.

oooooooooo

"Where the hell did they go?" Inuyasha muttered to himself, craning his neck to look around.

"They got sick of you guys yelling at each other and left for some peace and quiet." Shippo replied a bit dryly, as if the effort to speak was beneath him at that particular moment.

Inuyasha's eyelid was twitching in frustration. "Well if you're so bored, why don't you get out of here and go join 'em?!" he spat viciously.

"Maybe I will!" the fox demon declared indignantly.

"Inuyasha, calm down." Kagome's tone had suddenly turned sweet. To the half-demon's complete shock, he felt her hands slip up underneath his arms to cradle him by the chest. Every hair on his head began standing on end as she slowly dipped a finger inside his jacket to scratch at his belly.

"Ka-Kagome? W-what are you..." was all he could manage.

"Shhh..." she cooed. "You don't have to listen to anyone. You're the strongest and most handsome demon in the world. I'll bet you could defeat Naraku with nothing but your bare hands."

Inuyasha felt a small pang in the middle of his forehead, and a sense of calm washed over his entire body. "Mmmm, you're right." he said with a smirk, his eyes shining with a mischievous light. He relaxed into Kagome's embrace and allowed her to slip her hand further inside of his shirt.

Shippo rubbed his eyes a few times to make sure of what he was seeing. "What's gotten into you two?" he whined. "I thought you were mad at each other."

Inuyasha ignored him, sniffing at the air instead. A dark smile curled across his lips, exposing his sharp fangs. "Seems like my good-for-nothing brother's still hangin' around." he growled. "Guess I'll have to teach him another lesson."

Kagome took a step back, giving him room to draw the Tetsusaiga. The sword flared up the instant it left its casing. Using only one hand, he slung it over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing, then gave the young schoolgirl a hearty slap on the backside and chuckled.

"Inuyasha!" she giggled coyly.

Shippo's jaw dropped wide open with astoundment.

"I'll be back once I'm finished rearranging Sesshomaru's insides." the half-demon sneered. "Stay put and behave yourselves in the meantime."

Kagome blew him a kiss as he turned to walk away. Shippo found that he simply could not speak. What was causing them to act so strangely? They've never been this nice to each other before, especially when anybody else was around to see it. Could there be evil magic afoot?

His thoughts were interrupted when Aziru entered the clearing. She paused to look around a bit, then walked over to address Kagome.

"Where's Inuyasha gone to?"

"He's off to show his brother who's boss!" the young archer replied proudly, folding her arms with just a touch of arrogance.

"Aziru, you have to stop them!" Shippo had finally found his voice. "They're acting funnier than usual and I don't know what to do! I think they might be under a spell!"

"Sesshomaru..." the half-dragon whispered. A trickle of cold sweat ran down her temple and past her eyelid, causing her to blink.

"Where's Miroku and Sango?! We need their help!" The little fox was visibly panicking now, his tail bristling with anxiety.

"It's no good, we can't wait for them!" Aziru exclaimed, suddenly regaining her composure. "I think they may be under the same spell. We have to stop Inuyasha quickly or something terrible is going to happen!" She faltered for a moment, looking back and forth between the lovestruck schoolgirl and the frightened fox demon. With a hasty last-second decision she latched onto Kagome's wrist and took off at high speed, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.

Shippo coughed a few times, fanning the dirt away from his face. "Sango! Kirara! Is anybody out there?!" he squeaked. An eerie silence washed over the clearing, and when the dust cloud finally settled he realized with intense fear that he was completely alone. A shiver ran through his body, and he began to cry.

oooooooooo

An ill wind was creeping through the valley, creating a haze of dark mist.

Sesshomaru came to a stop alongside the stream he was patrolling and lifted his head to gaze at an old bridge jutting halfway out over the water. The ominous presence he had felt before seemed to be concentrated in this area.

"Show yourself." he commanded.

The wind suddenly picked up intense speed, weaving and undulating until eventually it transformed itself into a vortex of swirling energy. "You don't waste any time, do you?" came a low, guttural voice from inside the flowing mass. The low point of its cone touched down atop the outcrop just opposite the bridge and the wind dispersed, revealing an exceptionally tall male figure with short, dark hair and a richly decorated formal kimono. He had his back turned and for the most part, he looked human. Only a wicked set of sharp claws peeking out from inside his sleeves betrayed the fact that he was actually a demon.

"No doubt you are another of Naraku's incarnations." Sesshomaru remarked apathetically. When the strange figure turned his head towards him, he was intrigued to see that a blindfold adorned his face. A pale red light pulsated from underneath the covering, presumably from his eyes.

"I am Bokunaka." the demon announced. "My master is indeed the one you know as Naraku."

"Your master's plans have been exceedingly haphazard as of late." Sesshomaru shot back sarcastically. "Just what business do you bring to this folly?"

Bokunaka grinned. "On the contrary." he replied. "The final piece of this particular puzzle is nearly in place."

"Hey! One you two are finished with your little chat, I've got something to settle with my dear brother here." Inuyasha had appeared from underneath the other side of the bridge, a brazen smile plastered on his face.

"Well, speak of the devil." Bokunaka finished slyly.

Sesshomaru regarded his half-brother with a cold stare. "Do you seriously believe that I am the one presenting a problem this time?" he asked.

"It's all the same to me." Inuyasha sneered. "First I'll take you out, then this pathetic excuse for an incarnation is next. I can solve two problems at once."

"You are being childish." Sesshomaru continued. "If you are aware of this demon being one of Naraku's subordinates, then why do you not strike him down where he stands?"

Inuyasha's fist tightened around the hilt of the Tetsusaiga.

"I want you dead." he gritted. An unnatural gleam was flitting through his eyes. Something was very wrong here.

Bokunaka smiled.

"What you desire I can give to you." he whispered under his breath, watching the two siblings with malicious glee. "It is also what I can take away." The eyes underneath his blindfold burned a bright crimson, and Inuyasha shot forth to attack.

oooooooooo

"There's no need to rush, Inuyasha can handle this all by himself!" Kagome was protesting, doing her best to keep up with Aziru's frantic tugging.

"It's not Inuyasha I'm worried about!" the half-dragon replied. "Something smells funny about this whole situation and I intend to find out what!"

Soon they could hear the sounds of a battle up ahead. Aziru quickened her pace and when they broke through the treeline they could see Inuyasha striking at Sesshomaru with terrible ferocity.

"My, my... this just keeps getting better." Bokunaka remarked with delight as he spotted the two women.

Inuyasha ceased his attack momentarily and turned to look at Kagome.

"Hey, you're just in time." he said slyly. "Now you can watch me destroy Sesshomaru AND Bokunaka with my true power."

He lowered the Tetsusaiga, shifting it back into its original form and thrusting it into the ground next to him.

"What are you doing?" Aziru gasped. "You're not going to fight him with your bare hands, are you?"

"Much more than that." he growled, advancing towards his brother with a determined smile. As he drew further away from the sword, a terrible energy gathered in the air. The sound of a strong heartbeat pounded into Aziru's ears, and she couldn't tell whether it belonged to her or not. Something awful was going to happen, she just knew it.

Inuyasha dropped to one knee, lowering his head. The wind began whipping his hair about to obscure his face, and when he looked back up his eyes had transformed into frightening blood-red orbs. With a thunderous roar, he rose to his feet and shot forward once again with a look of pure madness.

"NO!" Aziru cried, taking to the air. She came to a quick landing in front of Sesshomaru. "Stop it, Inuyasha!" she pleaded, her heart racing with fear.

Just then time seemed to slow. Inuyasha's claws shot out blindly, tearing into Aziru's shoulder. A second later they went clear through to the other side of her body with a sickening crunch. The resulting spray of blood caught Sesshomaru in the face, making his hair stand on end. He'd finally had enough.

"FOOL!" he hissed, seizing Inuyasha by the arm and twisting it so hard that the bone shattered instantly. In the same motion he pulled the arm out of the half-dragon's chest and thrust it back with incredible force. The half-demon roared out in pain as he was sent hurtling into the air.

Aziru collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

Kagome blinked a few times as she observed all of this, then pressed her palm up to her forehead. "Is this... what I really wanted?" she whispered, casting her gaze over the battlefield. Sesshomaru was kneeling down to cradle the halfling dragon with his right arm, while Inuyasha was already rising for another assault.

Bokunaka snickered. "How exciting!" he trilled.

Kagome shook her head, trying to work out her thoughts. "No, this isn't what I want..." she murmured, looking up just in time to see Inuyasha dash forward, claws extended.

"Sit, boy!" she shouted. With a flash of light, the half-demon was send hammering into the ground, sending waves of water shooting upwards. The next moment, Kagome had knocked her bow with an arrow and sent it in Bokunaka's direction. It skimmed past his face, tearing the blindfold wide open.

"Auuuuugh! Impossible!" the demon screamed, covering his eyes with one hand. "How is it that you've broken free of my spell?!"

Another arrow whistled out, catching ablaze with rose-colored light. It struck Bokunaka between his shoulder blades, disintegrating the surrounding cloth to expose a spider-shaped scar.

"Gyaaaaah!" The demon doubled over, crying out in agony.

"You underestimate the power of friendship!" Kagome declared dramatically.

Bokunaka himself was now disappearing and the light spread through his body. A callous smile crept across his face as he uncovered his eyes. "We shall see... how this strength of yours holds up... when this is all over." he wheezed. As his head was finally consumed by the power of the sacred arrow, he let out a vicious cackle that echoed throughout the valley.

Kagome slid down the embankment to where Inuyasha lie face down in the water. He thrust his head up, sputtering and gasping for air. When he could finally see, he spotted Sesshomaru walking away with Aziru dangling off his right shoulder.

"Hey!" he yelled after him. "Where do you think you're going with her?!"

Sesshomaru turned so that the half-dragon's wound was plainly visible. "Look what you have done, Inuyasha." he replied coldly. "You have no business caring for her right now."

"What... I've done?" he said quietly.

"I am the only one who can revive her should the wound you inflicted prove fatal." Sesshomaru continued. "So now it is I who must request that you do not show your face for awhile." With that, he turned and carried Aziru off into the forest.

Inuyasha sat up in an attempt to protest, struggling with his broken arm and grunting in pain.

"Let them go." said Kagome, kneeling down and resting her hand on his shoulder to relax him.

"What happened here?" he asked with hesitation, regarding her with trembling eyes. "Did I... transform again?"

There was a tense pause.

"I've done something terrible, haven't I?" he continued, tearing his eyes away and staring blankly ahead.

"Let's go back and find the others." Kagome said softly. "They need to know what's been going on. We can all talk about this together."

"Will... Aziru be all right?" he choked, trying his best to hide his fear.

"She'll be fine." the young schoolgirl replied a bit uncertainly. "In any case we have no choice at the moment, and your arm needs to be tended to."

Inuyasha frowned. It wasn't just his arm that was broken. He felt as if something inside his heart had shifted today. How could he face his friends after what he had done? How could he trust himself around Kagome?


	6. Wicked Truth and the Tearing of Hearts

CORPUS DRACONIS

An Inuyasha fanfic by SerialZero

Episode Six: Wicked Truth and the Tearing of Hearts, Part I

oooooooooo

Inuyasha and his allies sat in a ragged circle around a blazing campfire, fidgeting with unease. The battle with Bokunaka had taken its toll on them in more ways than one, and they were finding it difficult to decide who should speak first.

Finally, Kagome stood to address everyone.

"I think we all need to be honest about what happened." she began. "Why don't we take turns?"

Everyone but Inuyasha nodded their heads in agreement. Kagome took a deep breath, putting her hands behind her back. "I guess I'll start." she said. "The demon we fought had the power to bring desires into being. He also said that he could take these desires away." Her head fell slack as she began recalling the events. "When I was under his spell, it caused me to feed Inuyasha's ego, because it was always my wish that he be kept happy."

The half-demon shifted uncomfortably, casting his gaze into the fire.

"It also... led me to do inappropriate things to him." she continued reluctantly, shuffling her feet in embarrassment. She looked over at Inuyasha, her face turning a bright pink. "It obviously made you feel weird, and I'm sorry." she concluded, hastily resuming her seat.

"I could have resisted if I wanted to." the half-demon muttered indignantly. Even as he said it aloud he knew he was lying through his teeth. There had been a part of him that fiercely enjoyed her touching him, and it was driving him mad because he couldn't figure out if it had been due to Bokunaka's spell or not.

Miroku cleared his throat and stood up next. "I told Sango that I was in love with her today." he stated plainly. Kagome and Shippo gasped simultaneously.

"Spell or no spell," he continued, kneeling down in front of the young exterminator and taking her by the hand, "I meant everything I said, and I am not ashamed to have it be known to everyone here."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"However, I let my desire consume me at an inopportune time when my friends were in danger. For that, I apologize to you all." he finished, sitting back down next to Sango, whose face had turned a bright crimson.

Shippo hesitated, then hopped up onto Kagome's lap for his turn.

"Bokunaka must have taken away my desire to have lots of friends." he said, twiddling his thumbs. "I was really scared because everyone was acting funny and I couldn't do anything to help. Then I was all alone."

Kirara mewed apologetically.

"It's not your fault." Shippo replied to the tiny feline. "The demon had everyone under his spell, so it's no wonder you couldn't find me."

There was a brief pause, then Sango attempted to speak.

"I was... well, ummm..." she stuttered.

"She was with me." Miroku interjected slyly, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Oh, please." Inuyasha sneered. "Get a freakin' room, you two."

A full minute of silence had passed before he finally noticed that everyone was staring at him.

"What?!" he shrieked, rising to his feet in anger. "OK, fine! I got all touchy-feely with Kagome! I turned into a demon and nearly killed Aziru! It's all my fault she's gone! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!"

"And?" Miroku stretched out expectantly.

Inuyasha collapsed back down into a sitting position.

"And I'm sorry." he said quietly.

"Good!" the monk continued cheerily. "Now that we've all gotten that off our chests, I say we bed down and get a good night's rest." Bringing his other arm up around to Sango's shoulder in an embrace, he let his weight pull her down into a lying position with him.

The sound of a slap to the face echoed throughout the forest.

oooooooooo

Somewhere, in another part of the forest, Aziru awoke to the sound of flowing water. Slowly, she cracked an eye open to survey the surroundings and found that she was inside a small cave.

The smells of a cooking fire were wafting in from the outside. She surmised that perhaps Inuyasha and the others had decided to camp downstream from where they had fought that strange demon in order to find her a suitable resting spot. How kind it was of them to have tended to her while she lie injured!

"I guess that means we must have won." she murmured to herself, attempting to sit up. A sharp pain raced through her shoulder and she winced, grunting something unintelligible under her breath and clutching her bandaged wound.

"Silly half-demon..." she muttered. "Really got me good..." What had happened to Inuyasha back there anyway?

"You shouldn't be moving around!" came an unexpected voice. Aziru snapped her head up to see that it was Rin, smiling impishly.

"Lord Sesshomaru would throw a fit if he knew you were trying to get up before you got all better." she continued cheerily.

"It was... he who saved me?" Aziru stuttered nervously.

"Uh-huh!" Rin beamed, walking over to crouch in front of her. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "You've been asleep for so long I thought you might want something to eat, so that's why I came in to check on you."

"Well... I..." the half dragon began, trying to think of how to explain her feeding technique to the young girl.

"Why are you not resting?"

Sesshomaru had entered the cave, and regarded Aziru with a fixed stare. The half-dragon felt her cheeks flush with timidity.

"Uhhhmmm..." she replied intelligently.

"Do you require sustenance?" he asked. "Rin has been gracious enough to prepare a meal. Should you insist on getting up, you might do well to take her up on her hospitality."

Aziru began scratching her head in embarrassment. "You are most generous, but I am very sorry to say that I do not eat human food." She paused to collect her next statement carefully. "With Rin and yourself present, I'm actually having breakfast as we speak."

The little girl giggled, clapping her hands together. There was a brief pause.

"Are... Inuyasha and the others all right?" the half-dragon continued hesitantly.

At the sound of his brother's name, Sesshomaru's hair bristled with fury.

"Take heed and do not be so hasty to return to their company." he said, trying his best to keep the growl from his voice. "Right now they are in no position to be worthy of your presence or your esteem."

Aziru averted her eyes, thinking back to the events of the battle with Bokunaka.

"Of course, I understand..." she said quietly. "I must apologize for my impertinence. You have been most gracious in obliging me during my recovery. Thank you."

"You got that right!" sputtered Jaken as he stumbled into the cave, carrying a jug of something Aziru could only assume was a wine of some sort. Was he drunk?

"You had Lord Shessh... Shessho..." he hiccupped, pointing haphazardly in the demon's direction, "THISH guy here in a big 'ol shtate lasht night, sho I hadda do shomething to cope, ya know what I'm shaying?!"

The little goblin demon took a swig from the mystery jug, then promptly passed out.

Rin shrugged, and Aziru thought she saw Sesshomaru smile.

oooooooooo

Elsewhere, underneath a blanket of dark miasma, loomed a foreboding castle surrounded by thick clouds of poisonous insects. Inside, the demon known as Naraku sat calmly by his usual windowside, smirking with eyes closed as if amused by thoughts that only he could understand.

"You seem strangely pleased for someone who's just lost another one of his incarnations." Came a smarmy female voice.

"Mind your tongue, Kagura." Naraku replied, casting a sidelong glare at the ersatz demoness. "Need I remind you that is only your usefulness that has kept you alive thus far."

Trying her best to be nonchalant, Kagura lifted her fan in one graceful upward move to cover her face, hiding the fact that she was now biting her lip in fear. What the hell was she thinking talking back to him? She knew full well that he regarded her and every one of her siblings as mere tools, so attempting to make him feel foolish was suicidal at best.

"I only meant that it must be inconvenient that Bokunaka can no longer utilize his unique abilities against Inuyasha." She added hastily, shutting her eyes to mask her anxiety. "Shall I pay them a visit?"

"There will be no need for that." The demon trolled, as if the effort to speak was draining his energy. "Bokunaka has not yet expended his efforts."

Kagura was taken aback. How was that possible? Was it not Kagome who slew the incarnation with her sacred arrow?

'Could it be?' the demoness thought to herself. 'Are they still under his spell somehow?'

oooooooooo

"Huh?"

Kagome felt her instincts stir, and awoke early. She blinked a few times in succession, bringing her surroundings into focus, and saw Inuyasha standing at the edge of the clearing, stowing his Tetsusaiga.

"Are you going somewhere?" She mumbled sleepily, rubbing one of her eyes and sitting up.

The half-demon paused, then turned his head slightly to address her. "Don't worry about it. I'll be right back. I'm going to see if Aziru is all right, that's all."

Kagome frowned, and opened her mouth to respond, but thought better of it. By what she could see of his expression, he was serious about going alone. No doubt he was feeling guilty, and needed the trip to sort some things out in his head.

"Be safe, OK?" She said at last, flashing him a sympathetic smile.

"Sure, whatever." He threw back morosely, and began making his way through the forest.

oooooooooo

Aziru was wandering by the riverside, one hand absently massaging the wound in her shoulder, which was now healing considerably well due to her half-dragon nature.

She eventually came to a section of the river that ballooned out into a wide, circular pool. She paused, gazing into the water, as if hypnotized.

It was then that Sesshoumaru suddenly appeared at her side, momentarily startling her from her thoughts.

At first, she said nothing.

A cool breeze wafted past the two of them, and her head tilted up, taking in the scent of cherry blossoms, which was soon overpowered by Sesshoumaru's scent.

Aziru was transfixed. The demon's scent was intoxicating, but at the same time, oddly familiar. Without realizing it, her right hand lifted to hover near Sesshoumaru's left shoulder, and her head swiveled so that she could get a good whiff of his severed arm.

The demon merely stood there, watching her with piercing yellow eyes.

Finally, the half-dragon realized what she was doing and promptly snapped herself out of it.

"I'm… I'm sorry!" She blurted, immediately prostrating herself before him, hands and arms locked in a submissive position. "You must think me an un-mannered child!"

At this, Sesshoumaru grew angry. He seized her by the arm and drew her up into a standing position. He thrust his face over to one side of her head until his lips were but an inch from her ear.

"You have more power inside of you than you care to realize, my dear GIRL." He hissed, putting a strange emphasis on the last word. "Why do you pretend to be that which you are not?"

Aziru grunted, attempting to extricate herself from his grip, and was surprised when he let go without a fight.

"I… I don't know what you-" She began.

"Do not think that you can lie to me as well as you lie to yourself, child." He snapped, narrowing his eyes. "You are enamored with me, are you not?"

The half-dragon's eyes flew open in shock. "W-well…" She stammered, blushing a bright crimson. "…who can tell, really? I'm only just beginning to learn about… affection."

"And do you know why that is?" The demon pressed, stepping closer. "Why you are so taken with me?"

"I, ah…" She whispered, clutching her chest. She felt as if her heart was about to pound its way right out from underneath her ribcage.

"Tell me about your parents."

"What?"

Suddenly, any nervousness Aziru felt was gone in a flash, and a swell of emotions came flooding into her.

"My… father was the great dragon Tiamoru." She replied with a smile. "He protected the forest from evil demons. He was most caring and kind. I loved him very much."

After a few moments of reflection, her mood soured, and her face grew darker.

"My mother…" She clamped her teeth shut and began grinding them. "She used my father to have a child. She had always said she always wanted a special little girl to call her own. But…"

"But you disappointed her, didn't you?" Sesshoumaru remarked in a low tone, startling Aziru with his sudden proximity. Without warning, he seized the collar of the half-dragon's vest and stared her down for a good minute, before releasing the cloth and slowing moving his hand down towards her chest.

Aziru gasped, and seized his hand, but the look on her face was not that of embarrassment, but of fear.

Sesshoumaru continued to bore his eyes into the half-dragon, and slowly, she released her grip on his hand.

The demon grinned slightly, and with a quick flick of his wrist, severed the laces holding the vest together with his claws.

Aziru stood, shaking.

"Now, tell me why you're so infatuated with me." He commanded sternly, taking a step back.

She hesitated, then cleared her throat to respond. "You… you smell like my father."

"That's to be expected." The demon replied, lifting his kimono sleeve to expose his severed limb. "He had something I required."

Aziru's eyes grew wide, threatening to engulf her entire face. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. After all this time, never knowing…

"You… it was YOU?!"

oooooooooo

Inuyasha was tracking his brother's scent, when he heard a sound so intense and violent, that he actually found himself jumping in surprise.

"What the… what the hell was that?" He muttered in falsetto, ears twitching.

It sounded like a voice, low and guttural, full of rage, and it was coming from the direction he was headed.

"Hnnh, this can't be good."

oooooooooo

"YOU murdered my father!" Aziru growled viciously, in a deep bass-voice that seemed not of this world.

Sesshoumaru smirked. "Then why don't you prove to me that you have what it takes to avenge him? Show me your true power. Show me… who you REALLY are."

"With… pleasure…"

The half-dragon sneered, hunching over and flexing her arms, initiating a ripple of dragon scales that raced across her entire body. Her mouth opened wide, exposing rows of lengthening fangs. Her horns soon followed suite, growing and curling into a wicked pattern above her head.

There was the sound of cloth tearing, and an undulating tail appeared from behind her, joined closely by a pair of wings from her back.

Finally, she stood fully erect, and her clawed hands slid up to grasp either side of her vest.

Sesshoumaru grinned smugly as the torn vest, and a padded cloth wrap fell to the ground.

"My name… is Azuya…" The flat-chested figure before him seethed. "…I am the SON of the great dragon Tiamoru!"

The half-dragon blew out his breath, sending a small cloud of flames into the air.

"PREPARE TO DIE, DEMON!"

oooooooooo

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I wrote the first ¼ of this soon after episode five, but was delayed in finishing it for several reasons.

First, I was bored, and having trouble figuring out exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of the episode, so I put it down for a bit.

That short bit turned into years as I dealt with my own personal issues, and after a lot of soul-searching, I finally realized I was FTM.

Now since I had initially based the character of Aziru on myself, I found it extremely difficult finding the desire to re-approach the story again, because it felt like I would be "living a lie", so to speak, if I continued writing the character as female.

Finally, I'm like, "Fuck it, I don't give a shit how out of left field it might seem, if I can do it in real life, I can do it in my own goddamn stories if I want to, FACE!"

So there you have it.


	7. Wicked Truth, Part II

CORPUS DRACONIS

An Inuyasha fanfic by SerialZero

Episode Seven: Wicked Truth and the Tearing of Hearts, Part II

oooooooooo

The air filled with a terrible energy, as the demon Sesshoumaru, and the half-dragon Azuya shifted into their battle stances.

Azuya regarded Sesshoumaru coldly, his jade eyes dancing with a light that bordered dangerously on madness.

A madness, however, that was kept in check by the absolute confidence in which he held himself, his body now free of the chains of deception imposed upon him by his mother.

"Well now." Sesshoumaru remarked in an amused tone, closing his eyes momentarily, and allowing himself a grin. "Quite a far cry from the pathetic rodent I witnessed mincing around Inuyasha and his band of fools."

Azuya's eyes narrowed, and a fine mist of smoke escaped from his lips as he exhaled.

"Shall we dance?" The silver-haired demon crooned, flexing the claws on his only hand.

The half-dragon slid one of his feet backwards, then ceased to be visible.

Sesshoumaru had but a split-second to react, dodging just as Azuya suddenly appeared in the spot where he had been standing, his open-palmed claws slamming into the ground and sending a massive cloud of dust and dirt flying in every direction.

'Impressive.' The demon thought as he came to a landing a few yards away. 'He propelled himself forward using only the ball of one foot.'

"It appears as though I am at a disadvantage-" Sesshoumaru began. He cut himself off in mid-sentence and dodged once again as the half-dragon arched his body into a handstand, and pirouetted, his tail lashing out at incredible speed. A sharp crack echoed out, and at first, the demon assumed that it was merely the sound of Azuya's tail snapping at the empty air, until his armor fell off of his shoulders and clattered to the ground, coming to a rest in two clean pieces.

Sesshoumaru chuckled, seemingly delighted with the challenge.

Azuya tucked from his handstand into a crouching position, and just as he took to the air, Inuyasha arrived at the edge of the clearing, just inside the line of trees.

'What the hell?' The half-demon thought to himself, watching the heated battle with slight confusion. 'Why are they fighting again? I thought she…'

He nearly bit his tongue as he saw Azuya swivel to avoid Sesshoumaru's backhand swing, and got a good look at the half-dragon's bare chest.

"She's… a GUY?" He blurted, a bit too loudly.

Azuya's ears twitched, and his head snapped around to glare in Inuyasha's direction. It was a petrifying look that had the half-demon swallowing.

Sesshoumaru took advantage of the momentary distraction and reached to seize Azuya by the throat, but succeeded only in creating three shallow scratches on the skin of his neck as the half-dragon snapped his head back at the last moment.

With an agitated grunt, Azuya lurched forward, simultaneously cracking the silver-haired demon in the forehead with his own forehead, and sending him flying backwards with a forceful shove from both palms.

Inuyasha blanched, astounded with the power that Azuya was displaying. His concentration on the battle was interrupted, however, when he caught a familiar scent on the wind.

"Naraku…" He growled, his head snapping in the direction the scent was coming from.

His eyes darted back to Azuya for a moment.

'She can take care of herself…" He thought, preparing to spring into action. He then clamped his eyes shut and ran a hand down his face.

"Or himself… ugh, whatever. I don't have time for this."

And then he was gone.

oooooooooo

Back at the campsite, Kagome felt a sudden sense of unease wash over her. She stood, and stared off into the distance for a good minute before Miroku took note of it and addressed her.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" He asked, concerned. "Do you sense a jewel shard?"

The young schoolgirl seemed startled when he spoke. "Oh, Miroku. It's… it's nothing." She replied, scratching the back of her head, looking slightly embarrassed.

The monk tilted his head a bit.

Kagome hesitated, giggled sheepishly, and broke into a somewhat musical tone. "I just got this crazy feeling something awful is going to happen, but it's probably just my imagination. You know how paranoid I can get sometimes."

Miroku smiled warmly, attempting to quell her nervousness. "Well, let's hope you're right."

oooooooooo

Sesshoumaru brought his hand back from his forehead, and was amused to see blood smearing his palm.

"You really are something." He remarked, pausing to lick some of the blood from his fingertips. "I must admit, I find it much more attractive when my opponent comes at me as they are, and not wrapped in a blanket of self-delusion."

Azuya was taken aback for a moment, but soon his anger returned, and he regarded the silver-haired demon with a contemptuous sneer.

"You're one to talk, pretty boy." He snarled. "Walking around like you don't give a damn, when the truth is you're just bitter." He paused, chuckling. "Poor you, daddy didn't give you what you wanted, you got the bum end of the inheritance, so you decide to throw a hissy fit and take it out on everyone you come across, BRAVO!"

At this, Sesshoumaru's face darkened, and a slight red tint began crawling its way into the corner of his eyes. Then, just as quickly as the expression of indignant rage appeared, it disappeared, and laughter echoed across the valley.

The half-dragon gritted his teeth. "What's so damned funny?!"

Sesshoumaru slid the edge of his hand across his mouth to quell his laughter, and flashed Azuya a sidelong stare. "I have never been thankful for anything in my life until this moment. Now that I have finally met a truly worthy opponent, I must admit…"

The half-dragon furrowed his eyebrows.

"…I am actually glad I killed your father."

oooooooooo

Not far away, in a small canyon, Inuyasha exploded onto the scene, full of vengeful intent.

"Come on out, Naraku!" He shouted. "I know you're here!"

There was a moment of silence, as a dusty breeze passed through the rock walkway.

Then, the wind picked up speed, and out of the sky, a narrow cone of air touched down on the canyon floor. When it dispersed, an all too familiar figure, dressed in an intricately decorated silk kimono, stood grinning at him, his eyes obscured by a white blindfold.

Inuyasha's face twisted with disbelief as he recognized the demon before him. "Hey, what gives?! I thought Kagome kill your stupid ass!"

Bokunaka laughed. "Foolish half-breed. I am the demon of desire. You only saw what you wanted to."

A single bead of sweat ran down Inuyasha's temple. This was going to be tricky. How was he supposed to defeat a foe, when that foe played on the very desire he had to win in the first place?

"And now, Inuyasha… can you kill me, before your brother, and your little friend kill each other, I wonder?"

oooooooooo

"BASTARD!!"

Azuya burst forward, slashing wildly at Sesshoumaru.

The silver-haired demon bobbed and weaved, using every ounce of his energy to avoid the deadly swipes.

"I'LL KILL YOU!!" The half-dragon bellowed, focusing his own energy into a swift leg sweep, which took Sesshoumaru off-guard just long enough for him to clamp a hand around the demon's throat.

Sesshoumaru froze, knowing instinctively that one false move could cause Azuya to snap his neck.

"How does it feel?" The half-dragon seethed, a slight froth of saliva leaking from the corners of his mouth. "Knowing that you're going to die? How does it FEEL, demon?"

Sesshoumaru merely stared, his expression blank.

"WELL?!"

"Well, what?" The silver-haired demon said at last. "You've got me right where you want me. So why do you not proceed as you have promised?"

"Don't TEMPT me." Azuya hissed, tightening his grip, which caused a slight trickle of blood to travel down Sesshoumaru's spine, from where the half-dragon's claws were piercing the skin. "I want some ANSWERS from you first. I want-"

Just then, Azuya felt a small pang in the middle of his forehead.

oooooooooo

"Marvelous." Bokunaka chuckled. "I didn't think the dragon would succumb, but I suppose I underestimated the power emotion has to cripple you mortals."

"Arrrgh, shut it already, I've had enough of your crap!" Inuyasha spat, drawing his Tetsusaiga. The instant the sword left its casing, it flared up into its superior form.

"Oh my, and what, pray tell, do you think you're going to do with that?" The demon chided, feigning boredom.

"Just watch!" The half-demon sprung forward, slashing the sword sideways, sending a shockwave of energy rocketing towards Bokunaka. The demon's body appeared to disintegrate instantly.

However, moments later, Inuyasha sensed a presence behind him, and wheeled to see the demon still intact, chuckling to himself.

"Hnnnh, OK, try dodging THIS!" Inuyasha leapt into the air, and brought the Tetsusaiga down with a mighty swing. "WIND SCAR!"

Once again, Bokunaka seemed to be torn apart as fierce trails of fire tore across the canyon floor, but like before, he appeared in another location, a smug smirk creeping across his face.

"Dammit, how am I supposed to kill this guy?" The half-demon muttered under his breath.

"Master Inuyasha!"

"What the…?" Inuyasha blinked in surprise, as a tiny figure suddenly appeared on his shoulder, jumping up and down in alarm. "Myoga? What are you doing here?"

The flea-demon ceased his frantic hopping. "Master Inuyasha, Bokunaka draws his power from his opponents' desires. If you wish for his defeat, he can manipulate your senses and make you believe that you are getting exactly what you want!"

Inuyasha sneered. "So how the am I supposed to beat him, exactly? NOT want to beat him?"

Myoga blew out his breath in exasperation. "I know Buddhism is not quite your forte, young master, but please try and take this seriously. In order to defeat an opponent you preys on your desires, you must clear your heart and your mind of ALL desires."

"Yeah, and how the hell do I do THAT?"

The flea-demon grunted. "Try thinking of something you DON'T want, it may nullify the effects of Bokunaka's manipulation long enough for you to get a bead on where he actually is, because right now, you're not seeing him clearly."

Inuyasha fell silent for a few moments. A flashback ensued, wherein he and his allies were discussing their own personal fears, and Inuyasha had a vision of Kagome's slain body.

The half-demon opened his mouth to speak, but found he was reluctant to admit the specifics of his fear aloud. He clamped his mouth shut, gritted his teeth as he organized his thoughts, and opened his mouth to speak again.

"So, what if I thought about not wanting a friend to die, or something?" He said flippantly, shrugging in an attempt to cover up his emotions.

"Close, master Inuyasha, but not quite." Myoga replied in a serious tone. "That too, is a desire. You must think about that friend dying and nothing more, for that is a desire you do not have."

Inuyasha's face sank.

"Damn." He gritted under his breath. "I'm not sure I can do that."

"Well, you don't have much choice in the matter." The flea-demon said solemnly. "Or you may find that what you desire not to happen, might actually come to pass."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. When he finally snapped out of his shock to address Myoga, he found that the tiny demon was no longer there.

"Figures." He growled bitterly.

oooooooooo

Sesshoumaru shifted his weight slightly.

Azuya sensed it, and snapped out of his momentary disorientation.

"You know what?" He said, his voice growing gravelly. "Forget it. I don't need to know why. I know what I really want."'

A wicked grin crossed his face as his grip on the demon's neck tightened even more.

"Do you, now?" Sesshoumaru rasped, making no further attempt to break away.

"YES, I-"

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

The slap of bare feet on dry ground broke Azuya's concentration, and he glared heatedly at the small human huffing her way towards them.

"Please, don't kill him!" Rin cried out, tears welling up in her eyes. "Aziru-"

"That is NOT my name!" The half-dragon growled, baring his teeth.

Paying no attention to Azuya's threatening expression, she pressed on, latching onto the half-dragon's pant-leg and sobbing into the cloth.

"Please, don't!" She wailed. "He's the only one who ever took care of me! He's my friend!"

Azuya's face was clouded with rage.

"Quit crying, you little brat! What good did crying ever do for anyone? Why don't you be a good little girl and-"

Three things happened simultaneously. Azuya lifted his hand to strike Rin, Sesshoumaru latched onto the arm Azuya was using to hold him in a deathlock, and Azuya's words died in his throat.

The half-dragon's eyes were wide and trembling.

"Rin." Sesshoumaru addressed the young girl in a soft, yet authoritative tone. "Run along now. I will handle this."

Reluctantly, Rin let go of Azuya's pant-leg, backed up slowly, and began making her way back across the field, constantly looking back in concern.

Sesshoumaru tugged gently at Azuya's arm, and found that the hand came easily with it, freeing him from certain doom. He held onto the arm, and used it as "branch" to pull himself closer.

Azuya did not move, but his eyes darted sideways, still trembling.

"If it makes any difference, it was your father who initiated the attack." Sesshoumaru began, at last letting go of the half-dragon's arm. "And you should know that anyone foolish enough to cross me will pay the price."

Azuya's eyes clamped shut, and a mixture of anger and despair crept into his expression.

"But it matters not right now. The most important question I have for you at the moment is, who do you REALLY want to kill?"

Azuya's expression changed to that of shock, and his head swiveled so that he was gazing directly at the demon's face.

"I… I want…" He faltered, eyes darting left and right. "My muh… I want to kill my…"

Sesshoumaru's hand lifted to cup Azuya's cheek.

The half-dragon felt something in his chest seize at the contact, and bolted into the forest.

oooooooooo

Deep in the woods, all was quiet apart from the occasional trill of animal-life.

A figure was making his way through the trees, his gait heavy but silent, a piece of white cloth dangling from his clawed hand.

Inuyasha paused in a patch of dotted light, trying his best to forget. The thoughts that had won him the fight against Bokunaka taunted him, resisting his efforts to push them away into the depths of his psyche.

He squeezed his eyes shut, a string of muted expletives spilling from his lips.

The sharp rustle of leaves suddenly broke his concentration, and a moment later, a familiar figure shot past somewhere on his left side.

"Aziru?"

A few seconds after that, Sesshoumaru followed suite, pursuing the half-dragon with focused intent.

Slightly eager to continue distracting himself, Inuyasha decided to follow them at a distance.

oooooooooo

"Go away!" Azuya called back, frantic to escape the silver-haired demon.

Sesshoumaru said nothing, matching the half-dragon's speed.

Soon, Azuya's emotions overwhelmed his senses. He leapt at the wrong moment, caught his foot on an arching root, and stumbled shoulder-first into a large boulder.

He cursed in pain, and turned with his back to the rock just in time to see Sesshoumaru descend upon him.

He failed to lift his arms in time, and the demon seized him by the jaw, pressing the weight of his body into the half-dragon's fear-stiffened form.

"You did not tell me the whole truth before." Sesshoumaru said in a calm tone. "Why is it that you are so focused on me?"

"No, I…" Azuya attempted to resist, but as he gazed into the demon's eyes, his body soon relaxed, and in turn, Sesshoumaru loosened his grip on the half-dragon's face to run a finger across his lips. Then, he dipped his fingertip ever so gingerly into Azuya's mouth.

Azuya fixed him with a questioning look.

"I'm curious…" The silver-haired demon drew out slowly, removing the digit and pressing his face closer.

"About what?" The half-dragon asked, almost inaudibly.

"I wonder what it is…"

His hand slid around to grasp Azuya by the back of the head.

"…that you taste like."

Surprisingly, it was the half-dragon who closed the gap, grasping Sesshoumaru's shoulders and covering the demon's mouth with his own.

They stood, locked together, hungrily savoring each other's "flavor" for the better part of a full minute, when Inuyasha came within range.

Once he got a complete eyeful of the interaction, he stopped dead in his tracks.

His first reaction was that of complete shock, but then, a dark sense of apathy washed over him.

He turned around, without a word, and headed back to his allies.

oooooooooo

"Inuyasha, you're back!"

Kagome sprang up from a sitting position, eager to see him return safely, but her expression quickly changed to that of concern once she saw how he was carrying himself.

"Yeah." He responded stiffly, refusing to look her in the eye.

Miroku frowned. "So how did it go?" He asked, arching an eyebrow. "Is Aziru doing all right?"

"Yeah. Fine." The half-demon huffed, tossing Bokunaka's blindfold into the campfire.

Kagome's hand went up to her mouth. "Was that…?"

"It's nothing." He snapped. "Don't worry about it."

"Inuyasha…" The young schoolgirl's face crinkled with concern. "I'm worried about you." She reached to grasp the half-demon's hand. "Are you-"

Without warning, Inuyasha slapped her hand away, shoving her to the ground.

"Errrgh, I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH YOU, OK?!" He screamed, his tone on the verge of hysterics. "AND I NEVER WILL BE, GOT IT?!"

As his voice echoed across the plains, Kagome's eyes began to well up with tears. "That isn't what… I was just…"

"INUYASHA!" Sango yelled angrily. "What is wrong with you?!" She rushed over to kneel by Kagome's side, holding the trembling girl by the shoulders.

Miroku's face darkened with anger. He rose to his feet, and approached the half-demon, gripping his staff tightly. "I think you'd better leave now."

"What?!" Inuyasha shouted indignantly. "I'm not allowed to say how I feel? You guys do it all the time! Give me a freaking break!"

"You pushed her, Inuyasha!" Miroku barked, stabbing the point of his staff into the half-demon's chest. "You hit a woman! A woman who did nothing but give a damn about your well-being! Sango's right, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

Shippo and Kirara watched, dumbfounded.

Inuyasha batted the end of the monk's staff away. "Fine! You wanna kick me out? Then I'll be taking those jewel shards with me!"

Kagome lifted her tear-soaked face from the hands she was burying it in. "Is that all you care about?" She sobbed.

Miroku took another step forward.

"Leave, or I WILL hurt you." He growled, rolling up his sleeves.

"HA, you don't have the-"

"I SAID NOW!" The monk bellowed, half-unwinding the beads around his cursed hand.

"Tch, you're all crazy." Inuyasha sneered, backing up. He turned, and began stomping his way in the opposite direction. Once he was almost out of earshot, he turned around once again.

"And if you guys think this touchy-feely crap is gonna last forever, you've got another thing coming!" He paused, squeezing his eyes shut. "It ALWAYS falls apart!"

And with that, he disappeared into the forest.

oooooooooo

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Fear not, hetero fans!

Though I have indeed transformed the Azuya/Sesshoumaru relationship into a shounen-ai, I won't be changing the Inuyasha/Kagome or the Miroku/Sango relationships, at least not in this particular fanfic series, anyway. XD

Though it DOES look like I'm headed in that direction at the moment, again, worry not, there IS method to my madness.

Hehehehe…


End file.
